Having Doubts About My Salvation

[JesusFreak877]

**

 

[d0c markus]

2Ti 2:13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.

Doubt happens to us all I think. There are countless biblical characters who at times have doubted, but they truley sought after God and he made himself manifest in thier lives. He is faithful, even when we are not, but seek him fully, and he will give you peace.

Phi 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Phi 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Prayin for you

 

[d0c markus]

i see that doesnt answer your main question though.

 

[Iollain]

http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/exploring/bible_says/eternal_security/index_129471.html

Here is writings by Charles Stanley for ya

 

[sobresaliente]

I would also suggest that when one doubts one's salvation their maybe something spiritually amiss...the Holy Spirit could be convicting you of something, or the LORD could be calling you to do something, but your not willing...many times when something like this occurs one starts to doubt their salvation.

I would strongly advise that you take inventory of your life and pour your heart out to the Lord, reading scriptures and turning your heart toward God.

Especially from one who has recently come out of the RCC, their are many issues that must be dealt with. Ask questions of the Lord and he will answer.

Adios
Sobresaliente

 

[TexasCatholic]

The "OSAS" doctrine is one that many people have issue with...

John 3:16 is indeed an amazing verse. "...whosoever believeth in him..." Does not believing in Christ include believing in and doing all that he has told us to do?... Believing in Christ is more than thought or belief.... coming from Catholic background, I think you know where I'm going with that. You have to live your beliefs....

Presently I'm a seeker of knowledge, as well...

-Michael

 

[Belteshazzar]

I would suggest that you study the books John and Romans. Purchase a good Bible commentary. Personally I like The Expositor's Bible Commentary (I have the abridged edition 2 vol set). Also go to a well stocked Bible bookstore (or order online from Christian book.com) and purchase The Gospel According to Rome by James G. McCarthy. The author is a former Catholic missionary to Ireland and he wrote this book to help people such as yourself. The book is written to help former and present Catholics get answers to their questions.

May Jesus the Messiah bless and guide you to His Holy Truth.

 

[newname]

God says that we are "to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling"

salvation is not an easy road "Enter in at the strait gate" the strait gate is full of obstacles that try to get in the way to life (Math 7)

the broad way is easy and many go there (Math 7)

God also says "choose affliction", affliction is not an easy word but means something difficult,

all in the church must seek the truth diligently, as Paul says it's a race and you must run it so as to win,

do you trust God, and his power to teach you his truth? all you need is the desire to seek the truth above everything else, and he will give it to you, these doubts are moving you toward God, he knows your heart, if you want truth more than anything else in this world you will get it and it will set you free,

all denominations hold the truth, but ALL Christian denominations hold falsness also, it's God who will show you all truth when your heart is ready,

ask and you shall recieve, KNOCK and it will be open unto you,

newname

 

[ZiSunka]

Romans 5:1 did it for me:

Therefore, since we have been made clean and good in God's sight by our faith in Christ, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

And Genesis 15:6
And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD declared him righteous because of his faith.

We are saved by faith, and nothing else can do it. If you are a Believer in Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross for us, then you ARE saved.

 

[JesusFreak877]

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[JesusFreak877]

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[JesusFreak877]

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[JesusFreak877]

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[TexasCatholic]

Not to throw a wrench in it, but we must also remember that we should be striving to live our lives in a righteous manner. Obviously we all are sinners, but it is the intent that is of significance. We must be trying to live our lives in the manner prescribed by Christ and do the things that he has commanded us to do...

All of the scripture about having faith is absolutley positively Truth... So long as there is understanding that there are "works" that will come as a result of the faith... Sitting at home saying you believe is one thing, but how you live your life and how you interact with others is also of significance... Let's not forget the only verse in the entire bible that contains the words "Faith Alone".....

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." -James 2:24 (NASB)

Or to clarify, the NIV says it like this:

"You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." -James 2:24 (NIV)

James is in no way conflicting with Paul. It just needs to be understood, especially related to the concept of "OSAS" that you can't just say you believe it and then have a blanket of protection... You must live it.

I'm curious as to what brought you out of the Catholic Church... I'm actually finding that there is more truth there, without the omissions found elsewhere in favor of a particular Reformation doctrine. For instance, it is clear to me that "Faith Alone" can only be considered true if qualified with "if you include works (a.k.a. what you do) as part of having faith".... I'm thinking of converting to Catholicism myself.

-Michael

 

[GreenEyedLady]

There are plenty of scriptures that give assurance to salvation.
God chasenth those who He loves.
One thing that always throws an even BIGGER wrench in the "You can lose your salvation" group is at what point does one lose thier salvation?
What sin is it that God says........ALRIGHT SON, I AM THREW with you, I am done.
What kinda God is that? Wouldn't we be contradicting the Lord to say that he was not long suffering had no mercy and no compassion?
And is someone stupid enough to think that God does not know our heart when we repent whether or not we repented enough? How much sin does it take to remove the operation made without hands that the Lord did on your soul the day you were sealed with the Holy Spirit and recieved Him as Saviour??

"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (I Pet. 1:5)

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philip. 1:6)

I know that I'm going to Heaven because GOD is preserving me. I'm not preserving my own Salvation. I wasn't saved by my good works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:5), so I do not STAY saved by my good works. I am KEPT by the POWER OF GOD, not by my own power! God is able to keep me from falling (Jude 24), because I'm HIS child and I'm in the palm of HIS hand (Jn. 10:28-29). Ephesians 4:30 says that I have been SEALED by the Holy Spirit of God until the day of redemption! I'm not worried about losing my Salvation. I KNOW I'm going to Heaven because I'm being preserved by God's power.



"I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (Jn. 10:28)

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (Jn. 3:16)

If I sin as a child of God, then my Heavenly Father will rebuke and chasten me , just as any good father would (Rev. 3:10; Heb. 12:4-8), but He will not condemn me with the world (I Cor. 11:32). God has promised His children ETERNAL SECURITY.


"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (Jn. 5:24)

"He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I Jn. 5:12)

 

[mesue]

I hope this is helpful. It is a copy of an email I sent to my friend awhile back. It has to do with her belief that there is a sin unto death that will cause one to loose their salvation. The death is physical death, not spiritual.
Here goes:

Some things for you to consider and to know why I know that I will never lose my salvation.
Jesus promised that I cannot lose my salvation:

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)
(note Jesus didn’t say “Except for that sin unto death”)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)
(note Jesus didn’t say “Except for that sin unto death”)

Further, that I cannot do anything to lose my salvation because:
Salvation is by grace through faith, and not by works. It is a gift from God. No man can lose his salvation on his own, because no man earned his salvation.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
If I had to do anything to earn or keep my salvation, I would easily lose it.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10)

Yet 2 Timothy assures us it is Jesus Christ who keeps us, not we ourselves.
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)
Galatians 2:21 states clearly that if we could become righteous by anything we do, then Jesus Christ’s death was in vein.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21)
God won’t cast me out, no man can cause me to lose my salvation, I cannot lose it myself and there is nothing else to make me lose my salvation

For I am persuaded, that neither
death, - you cannot lose it when you die
nor life, - you cannot lose it while you’re alive
nor angels, - cannot take it away from you
nor principalities, - the government can’t take it from you.
nor powers, - the devil cannot cause you to lose it.
nor things present, - nothing happening right now
nor things to come, - nothing happening in the future.
Nor height, - nothing above you.
nor depth, - nothing below you.
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Does this mean I can go on and knowingly sin? Absolutely not!
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:15)
But how I serve the Lord while here on earth will be judged.
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1Corinthians 3:13-15)

 

[JesusFreak877]

Not to throw a wrench in it, but we must also remember that we should be striving to live our lives in a righteous manner. Obviously we all are sinners, but it is the intent that is of significance. We must be trying to live our lives in the manner prescribed by Christ and do the things that he has commanded us to do...

All of the scripture about having faith is absolutley positively Truth... So long as there is understanding that there are "works" that will come as a result of the faith... Sitting at home saying you believe is one thing, but how you live your life and how you interact with others is also of significance... Let's not forget the only verse in the entire bible that contains the words "Faith Alone".....

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." -James 2:24 (NASB)

Or to clarify, the NIV says it like this:

"You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." -James 2:24 (NIV)

James is in no way conflicting with Paul. It just needs to be understood, especially related to the concept of "OSAS" that you can't just say you believe it and then have a blanket of protection... You must live it.

I'm curious as to what brought you out of the Catholic Church... I'm actually finding that there is more truth there, without the omissions found elsewhere in favor of a particular Reformation doctrine. For instance, it is clear to me that "Faith Alone" can only be considered true if qualified with "if you include works (a.k.a. what you do) as part of having faith".... I'm thinking of converting to Catholicism myself.

-Michael

Hi Michael, thanks for your post. Since I posted my question, I've been digging into the scriptures as well as the responses I got and another 66-page thread I found from a few years back on this forum, to try to get a better grasp on what the Bible says about this and to pray for understanding and wisdom.

Sorry this so long a reply but I wanted to answer your question and it turned out more complicated than I thought to put it in a short post. Hope this helps answer your question and thanks for your input and encouragement. All the responses I have gotten here are quite engaging and thoughtful and helping me to focus better, since I know I am accountable to God and am trying to seek his will; all of this helps!

As I am a seeker of truth in God's Word, I certainly encourage others like yourself on your own personal search and I would not say these things to discourage you from the path you are on in exploring the Catholic Church. For me it was not a healthy place to be and I believe God wanted me to leave that Church and now am seeking his will for my church situation going forward.

By way of background, I currently do not have access to a Bible based church due to limitations of transportation and the fact that my family doesn't like me to go to church on Sunday (they are not practicing Christians), so I am praying about this and what God would have me do in terms of ministry and serving him in general in my life - especially with my own family!

I agree with you that striving to live our lives in a righteous manner is important. I believe that once one trusts in/receives Jesus Christ as Savior/Lord, it is a daily process by which we re-commit our daily walk to the Lord and are sanctified by his Grace and led by His Holy Spirit to live our lives in a righteous manner that is pleasing to the Lord according to his commandments in the Bible, but that we do so after we are saved (not to earn salvation). I know that before I committed my life to Christ, I was so different - there were many immediate positive changes that only Christ could have worked in me, not me alone, but yet over the years, I got caught up in imbalance in terms of my "religious behavior" - putting more emphasis on going to Catholic Mass and saying prayers and confession than on my actual walk with Christ - for me the Church replaced Christ in my heart - this was my personal weakness, it is not meant to say that any of those things (the Church, sacraments, etc.) are bad. Even today I still struggle with leaving the Church because I have a strong emotional connection to it, but I have never has a conviction that I could accept the authority of the Pope and Magisterium and I am not comfortable with the teaching that the Eucharist is the Flesh and Body of Christ and that salvation comes through the sacraments. This makes it impossible for me to remain a Catholic since I only believe in the Word of God as my authority for truth and believe in faith alone. I had to find this out on my own over a number of years of study of the faith. I am up to my ears in catechisms and books written by converts to the faith, so I have really made an effort to look at the issue of salvation outside the Catholic Church and within the Church and have come to the personal conviction that one is saved by Trusting in Christ and making Him Lord and Savior and obeying His Word; I know now that my churchy behavior can't save me - but that Church is a blessing we have to fellowship and a place to Worship the Lord.



God bless,
JesusFreak877

 

[JesusFreak877]

There are plenty of scriptures that give assurance to salvation.
God chasenth those who He loves.
One thing that always throws an even BIGGER wrench in the "You can lose your salvation" group is at what point does one lose thier salvation?
What sin is it that God says........ALRIGHT SON, I AM THREW with you, I am done.
What kinda God is that? Wouldn't we be contradicting the Lord to say that he was not long suffering had no mercy and no compassion?
And is someone stupid enough to think that God does not know our heart when we repent whether or not we repented enough? How much sin does it take to remove the operation made without hands that the Lord did on your soul the day you were sealed with the Holy Spirit and recieved Him as Saviour??

Hi GEL, thanks very much for this post. I made myself dizzy with all the wonderful scriptures in the Bible the last 2 days going over this issue and I like how you sum it up so simply. I believe the Lord got right to the heart of matters when He explained things to his disciples and I love how loving and patient he was with them when they were confused. (that's how I feel sometimes ) That's why I am reaping a wonderful time right now of getting into His Word (kind of like when Mary just wanted to sit at Jesus' feet while Martha ran around). I am getting away from all the external churchy stuff to just sit at His feet for a bit and say Lord, speak, your servant is listening. He speaks to my heart when I really sincerely desire the Word's truth and I am just rejoicing right now over how good the Lord is. Haven't you said it yourself in your otherposts - someone shout GLORY!

Thanks again for your encouragement!

God bless,
JesusFreak877

 

[JesusFreak877]

I hope this is helpful. It is a copy of an email I sent to my friend awhile back. It has to do with her belief that there is a sin unto death that will cause one to loose their salvation. The death is physical death, not spiritual.
Here goes:

Some things for you to consider and to know why I know that I will never lose my salvation.
Jesus promised that I cannot lose my salvation:

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)
(note Jesus didn’t say “Except for that sin unto death”)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)
(note Jesus didn’t say “Except for that sin unto death”)

Further, that I cannot do anything to lose my salvation because:
Salvation is by grace through faith, and not by works. It is a gift from God. No man can lose his salvation on his own, because no man earned his salvation.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
If I had to do anything to earn or keep my salvation, I would easily lose it.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10)
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10)

Yet 2 Timothy assures us it is Jesus Christ who keeps us, not we ourselves.
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
(2 Timothy 1:12)
Galatians 2:21 states clearly that if we could become righteous by anything we do, then Jesus Christ’s death was in vein.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21)
God won’t cast me out, no man can cause me to lose my salvation, I cannot lose it myself and there is nothing else to make me lose my salvation

For I am persuaded, that neither
death, - you cannot lose it when you die
nor life, - you cannot lose it while you’re alive
nor angels, - cannot take it away from you
nor principalities, - the government can’t take it from you.
nor powers, - the devil cannot cause you to lose it.
nor things present, - nothing happening right now
nor things to come, - nothing happening in the future.
Nor height, - nothing above you.
nor depth, - nothing below you.
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Does this mean I can go on and knowingly sin? Absolutely not!
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. (Romans 6:15)
But how I serve the Lord while here on earth will be judged.
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1Corinthians 3:13-15)

Hi Mesue! Wow, thanks so much for the scriptures! I've been studying John 10:27-29 today and especially Romans 8:38-39 and soaking up the wonderful truth that we cannot lose our salvation. I have read these scriptures over the years, but am finally really getting them in to my heart and seeing the truth. This is so helpful! Thanks for the post! I will print this out and keep it in my bible to study - I am highlighting these verses as reminders when I need them or to witness to others.

Thank you and God bless!

 

[GreenEyedLady]

Jesus freak,
Your fresh spirit and obedience unto the Word of God is a wonderful thing to see on these boards. I am so happy to read that you really took the time out to investigate the church you were leaving so that you could be sure that this was truley God calling you out of your church. I did the same thing. It took me a couple years of studing to really get the truth and know for sure that this is what GOD truley wanted for HIS will, not my will! It saddens me that some think that just reading on CF (not that CF is a bad thing) can change thier mind about where they think God wants them to be and they make up thier minds based on what they read here on this message board instead of soaking in the Word of God and letting HIM IN!!!!
This is not something that should ever be taken lightley. We can so easlity be distracted from the truth and end up in the wrong place feeding on milky doctrines or even false doctrines, depending on what church you end up in.
There is no perfect church, but I truley believe that God calls us to specific churches so that his will can be made manifested through us.
It is so good to see a refreshing spirit soaking up the Word of GOD and drinking from the fountain! Praise the Lord, sister, he will SUSTAIN THEE!!! He will FULLFILL you!
Oh sister, my cup runneth over, it is flowing like a river.
If no one else will shout it I will
GLORY BE TO GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!